This invention relates to containers for liquids to be drunk from, and, more particularly, to such a drinking container equipped with a built-in drinking straw.
It is known in the prior art to combine the concept of a drinking container and a drinking straw into one convenient device. Moreover, it is also known to provide the straw in the form of a tube which is wrapped around the container. Such combinations are depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,490 (FIG. 7), as well as U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 279,250 and 360,558. In these three designs, the straw is shown wrapped around the outside of the drinking container. There are also prior art designs involving a spiral straw and drink container wherein the straw is provided in some other relationship to the container. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,302 shows a spiral tube provided as the base of the container, with the container vessel mounted on top of it. U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,125 shows a container with a spiral drinking tube disposed inside the container. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,863 shows a holder for supporting a drink container in the form of a spiral tube with an extension at the bottom which is meant to be inserted into the ground. This design, of course, does not actually show a drinking straw.
All of the above designs suffer from certain disadvantages. In particular, the two design patents, as well as the design shown in Utility Pat. No. 4,428,490 all show the drinking straw or tube spirally wound around an outside surface of the container which is smooth. That is, the drinking tube and the wall of the container do not co-act in any way. In other words, the tube is not mounted securely with respect to the container, but is simply loosely wound around it. With such an arrangement, it is highly unlikely that the straw will be able to maintain any kind of fixed position with relation to the drink container.
Furthermore, these designs are somewhat lacking aesthetic appeal. The straw appears to be something simply added onto the container, and not integrally designed therewith. Thus, when such a prior art combination is grasped by the user, the hand encounters the straw, rather than the container wall. This also makes the container difficult to grasp.
It would be desirable to provide a combination drinking container and drinking straw in which the straw is attached to the container in a secure, semipermanent matter.
It would be also desirable to provide such a combination which presents an aesthetically pleasing, integrated, and easy-to-use design.
The present invention is designed to overcome the shortcomings in the prior art noted above. It is a combination drinking container in the form of a bottle and straw and method of manufacture. The bottle includes a wall, a defining chamber, a bottom, and an open top. A lip may be one embodiment formed on an upper edge of the outer wall proximate the open top of the bottle for insertion of a cap thereon. The cap and lip, preferably, include mating grooves formed thereon so that the cap may be screwed onto the top.
The bottle is molded from an easily moldable plastic such as polyethylene and has at least one straw retaining member disposed on either an outside or inside surface thereof, or alternatively, formed by shaping the wall so that it includes a constricted portion, such as a stem. The straw retaining member is configured to retain a portion of hollow drinking straw which is inserted therein and the path of the straw around the bottle is defined by the path of the various retaining members. A first end of the straw forms a continuous drinking passage with the container chamber, either by extending into the chamber, or by being in fluid communication therewith by means of an aperture formed in the container wall, the straw first end being attached thereto.
In one embodiment, the cap, if included, has an aperture formed therein through which the first end of the straw may be inserted. It should be noted that the cap may be secured onto and off of the bottle without removing the straw, the upper portion of the straw serving as a xe2x80x9chingexe2x80x9d in this embodiment. In a further refinement of the concept, the straw may be formed with an elongated loop to serve as the xe2x80x9chinge,xe2x80x9d and also to function as a carrying loop by which the bottle may conveniently be carried by inserting a finger or two therethrough. Alternatively, the first portion may extend directly through an aperture formed in the bottle wall, itself, either near the top or bottom of the bottle.
A second end of the straw extends upwardly and outwardly from the bottle so that it may be sipped by the user. The path traced between a middle portion of the straw between the first and second ends may take various configurations, or be separate straw segments and chambers connected together to form a continuous drinking passage. In one configuration, the retaining member may comprise a groove molded into the bottle. Preferably, the groove is molded to contain most of the straw. In this way, the bottle presents a smooth profile, with the straw flush to the outer surface. When a user grasps the combination container of the present invention, the hand encounters the smooth bottle wall, rather than a bumpy straw.
The first end of the straw may extend straight down the side of the bottle and then spiral around the bottle upwardly until it joins the second end. The loops of the spiral may be, themselves, configured in the form of waves to make the path of the liquid sipped through the straw more interesting. At certain points, the configuration of the straws path will be determined by the configuration of the groove which is molded into the outside surface of the bottle.
In another embodiment, the molded groove may be formed in portions, rather than continuous. For example, diametrically opposed portions of the container may be left ungrooved for ease of molding.
In yet another embodiment, the straw retaining members may comprise bumps or knobs around which the straw is wrapped to trace the desired pathway. Alternatively, the members may be molded as xe2x80x9cpinch points or holes.xe2x80x9d A retaining ring may be added to help hold the straw in place. The various types of straw retaining members may also be combined.
In yet another embodiment of the container of the present invention, the path of the straw may diverge from the surface of the bottle to form loops, knots, and handles.
The container body may also be configured in a variety of ways. For example, it may be shaped as a typical xe2x80x9csports bottlexe2x80x9d to hold drinking water for those engaged in activities. It can be molded in novelty shapes, such as a pumpkin. It can be formed in the shape of a mug. In another embodiment, it can be formed as a stemmed glass such as a champagne flute. The mug and drinking glass embodiments typically do not include a lid. In these embodiments, the straw may include a loop engaging portion which is force fitted past the stem into the bottom of the container, thus retaining the straw in the container.
The combination bottle and straw of the present is formed in the following manner. First, the bottle is blow molded using a two part mold which closes around a continuous extrusion. The pattern of the straw retaining members is shaped into the mold. A parison is first formed, then the two parts of the mold closed over the parison, thereby sealing the bottom of the bottle. Air under high pressure is then injected into the parison to blow it out against the walls of the mold to form the final shape including the pattern of grooves, bumps, knobs, pinch points, or holes. The molded bottle is cooled sufficiently, the mold is opened and the bottle released.
The embodiment of the bottle having a continuous groove presents a special molding problem. In order to allow the bottle to be easily released from the mold when it is opened, the continuous groove has opposed straight and parallel sections that span the parting line (where the two halves of the mold join). If the groove sections were not straight along the parting line, the bottle would be stuck on the mold (xe2x80x9cundercutxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9coverhungxe2x80x9d in molding terminology). Preferably, the bottle is molded from high density polyethylene.
To form the straw, a straight rod is extruded using standard pipe extrusion techniques. Preferably, the straw is formed of PETG. The straight tube is then reheated either in an oven or with an appropriately shaped heating element. The first top end of the straw is inserted into a hole either in the cap or in the bottle. The straw is then curved downward and around the bottle, winding it around the various grooves, bumps, knobs, holes and pinch points until the entire path pattern has been followed. The free end of the straw is then molded upward from the bottle with a slight curve to easily reach the consumer""s mouth for sipping. Alternately, the straw is formed of a highly malleable material and simply inserted into the groove, thus omitting the heating step.
Alternatively, a very flexible unheated straw could be similarly wound around the bottle. Pinch points retaining rings or knots may serve as retaining members in this version, or the straw could be glued to the bottle for added security.
In an alternate embodiment of the bottle of the present invention, the first end of the straw is provided with a connector so that it may be attached to the main body of the straw proximate the lid of the bottle. In this way, the straw and lid may be easily removed from the bottle.
Similarly, it is understood that in all of the embodiments mentioned in this specification, that when the term xe2x80x9cstrawxe2x80x9d is used, it refers not only to a simple tube, but to any hollow passageway that brings liquid from the inside of the container to the users mouth to form a drinking passage. This passageway could include multiple pieces connected together, flexible pieces, ridged pieces, pieces with ornamentation, pieces that are puffed out into shapes, or pieces that diverge and come back together or pieces with valves, etc., as well as any combination of these enumerated structures. In the depicted embodiments, a simple tube, flexible or ridged, is depicted for simplicity""s sake.
In another alternative embodiment, the straw is molded integral with the container. Alternatively, the groove may be formed either partially or entirely on the inside of the container, with the straw inserts thereinto.
In most of the above mentioned embodiments, it is understood that the straw comprised of different sections connected together and the differential sections could be formed of either flexible or ridged plastic. Thus, the straw or its various sections could be xe2x80x9cunwrappedxe2x80x9d or unthreaded or unbent (or some combination) and removed from the container and then put back on again. If one or more sections of the straw are flexible and the container includes pinch points, part or all of the straw could trace a different path when placed back on the container by using only some or all of the pinch points in different combinations or sequences. The defining characteristic of this embodiment is that only certain pinch points may hold the straw in place.
Furthermore, in any above mentioned embodiments, one or more parts of the straw may move or be bent in different configurations while the remainder of the straw are confined by the surface of the container.
Any of the above mentioned containers can be filled with added products such as candy or trinkets to add value to the combined product, with the implied later use of the container as a drinking device. Once these added products are removed, then the user can fill the drinking container and use it as such.